Education Burkina Faso Project #7291

Support an African village library in 2011/Dohoun

by Friends of African Village Libraries (FAVL)

Project Report | Feb 21, 2012
Successful 2011 for Village Library of Dohoun!

By Krystle Austin | Peace Corps Volunteer

Alidou, the librarian, at his desk

We are closing the project for the village library of Dohoun. With the funds raised from GlobalGiving and other generous donations, we have been able to furnish the library with 1,852 books in French, English, Arabic and local languages.

The year 2011 was very successful at the library in Dohoun, which is due in a great part to the motivation of the librarian who encourages villages to patronize the library. In 2011, there were 121 new registrations, 1,390 books checked out and 7,157 at the village library of Dohoun. In the month of January 2012, there were 38 new registrations, 280 books checked out and 882 visitors, so it looks like 2012 is slated to be another successful year for Alidou and his village library! This would not be possible without the donations from sources like GlobalGiving that provide books to libraries like that in Dohoun. In July 2011, the village library hosted a summer reading camp for 25 fourth grade students. The purpose of the camp was to improve their reading skills. Many of the students did not even know how to read the alphabet at the beginning of the camp, but by the end, all of them reached at least an average reading level on their evaluation. We hope that 2012 will be just as successful of a year for the village library of Dohoun!

We'd like to thank all the generous donors who have helped us create a such a popular and integral cultural and informational center in this tiny Burkinabè village. If you are interested in further donating to a FAVL project, we have project to supply a series of graphic novels from Côte d'Ivoire to each of our libraries and to have reading camps for 25 students to improve their reading skills in the months of July, August and September 2012.

Delivery of New Photo Books

Activities at 2011 Reading Camp

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Nov 22, 2011
Fall Update 2011

By Krystle Austin | Project Leader

Excited about the new photo books

Busy as always, especially after a successful summer reading camp in July, the library in Dohoun in the site of many activities for library patrons. The librarian has profited from the return to school, which is October 1 in Burkina. Students are motivated and ready to come to the library. Throughout the months of September and October, the library hosted several sessions of card playing, puzzles and drawing. There were also story hours, when the librarian read stories about the importance of washing your hands with soap and how to avoid stomach maladies. In addition, the librarian offered lessons to students on the different forms of punctuation and how to use them. Each of the activities had a good turn-out, and the librarian hopes to host more like them in the future.

In early October, the Ouaga staff traveled to Dohoun to visit the library and meet with readers. The staff arrived at the library to find it very well organized and beautifully decorated with art projects of patrons and attendees of the reading camp. During the meeting with readers, many expressed their appreciation of having a library in Dohoun. Those who had not the opportunity to attend school especially expressed their love of the library, as it gave them a chance later in life to educate themselves and provided their children with an educational outlet. Suggestions centered on additions that could be made to the library’s collection, notably books that were a part of school curriculum but not available at the school. While they were there, the staff profited in introducing the new set of photo books that is part of FAVL's ongoing Reading West Africa program. Patrons were eager to look at the new books and see if they could catch glimpses of people or places they knew from their village.

In Dohoun, the library will continue to profit from frequent visits from those now back in school and from activities planned by the librarian.

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Sep 7, 2011
September 2011 Update

By Krystle | Volunteer

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